New TV Green Gables will still be period piece

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The new Anne of Green Gables TV series will be set in the same time as the book, the early 20th century. (CP)

The executive producer of a new Anne of Green Gables TV series is clearing up some confusion about the time period in which the show will be set.

In a news release, Breakthrough Entertainment said the 13-episode run would be a "contemporary re-telling" of the story, and many took that to mean a modernized version of the story, with perhaps Anne smashing a tablet, rather than a slate, over Gilbert's head.

But executive producer Joan Lambur said that's not what they meant by contemporary, and that the show will be set at the turn of the 20th century, just as the book was.

"What we're going to do is take it a little bit deeper, and start to really explore backgrounds and characters, the immigrant experience during that time, the economic challenges during that time," said Lambur.

"Really just be a little braver about telling the real stories, you know, what people were really experiencing."

Lambur is collaborating with the granddaughter of Lucy Maud Montgomery on the new production. Filming is expected to start in the Maritimes next summer, with an air-date likely in fall of 2014.